Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. Extensively updated, this second edition of the Advanced Introduction to Social Policy provides a concise overview of the field that takes newer realities into account as well as taking insights from the traditional social policy canon. Daniel Béland and Rianne Mahon draw on both classic and contemporary theories to illuminate the broad processes that are putting pressure on existing social policy arrangements and raising new research questions. Key Features: Assesses the social policy implications of changing gender relations and the increasing salience of ethnic diversity Focuses on both the advanced industrial world and the growing significance of the Global South as a site of social policy innovation Provides a global perspective on social policy that features systematic attention to transnational actors, moving beyond the methodological nationalism that has traditionally marked the field Presenting a lucid and up-to-date overview of comparative and global social policy, this thoroughly revised second edition will prove vital to researchers, university students, and university instructors of social policy, political science, sociology, public policy, and social work.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. Extensively updated, this second edition of the Advanced Introduction to Social Policy provides a concise overview of the field that takes newer realities into account as well as taking insights from the traditional social policy canon. Daniel Béland and Rianne Mahon draw on both classic and contemporary theories to illuminate the broad processes that are putting pressure on existing social policy arrangements and raising new research questions. Key Features: Assesses the social policy implications of changing gender relations and the increasing salience of ethnic diversity Focuses on both the advanced industrial world and the growing significance of the Global South as a site of social policy innovation Provides a global perspective on social policy that features systematic attention to transnational actors, moving beyond the methodological nationalism that has traditionally marked the field Presenting a lucid and up-to-date overview of comparative and global social policy, this thoroughly revised second edition will prove vital to researchers, university students, and university instructors of social policy, political science, sociology, public policy, and social work.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. Advanced Introduction to Social Policy offers a concise overview of the field that takes newer realities into account, without rejecting the insights found in the traditional social policy canon. Daniel Beland and Rianne Mahon draw on both classic and contemporary theories to illuminate the broad processes that are putting pressure on existing social policy arrangements and raising new research questions. This enlightening book enriches social policy research by moving beyond the methodological nationalism that has traditionally marked the field to include the role of transnational actors. Key features include: - a concise yet advanced introduction to social policy research - a close examination of changing gender relations and the increasing salience of ethnic diversity - a focus on both the advanced industrial world and the growing importance of the Global South as a site of social policy innovation - stressing the role of ideas in social policy - a global perspective on social policy that features systematic attention to transnational actors. In this lucid and accessible book, the authors offer a thorough overview of the field of social policy. The Advanced Introduction to Social Policy is essential reading for students, academics and policymakers alike.

This book draws on the expertise of faculty and colleagues at the Balsillie School of International Affairs to both locate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a contribution to the development of global government and to examine the political-institutional and financial challenges posed by the SDGs. The contributors are experts in global governance issues in a broad variety of fields ranging from health, food systems, social policy, migration and climate change. An introductory chapter sets out the broad context of the governance challenges involved, and how individual chapters contribute to the analysis. The book begins by focusing on individual SDGs, examining briefly the background to the particular goal and evaluating the opportunities and challenges (particularly governance challenges) in achieving the goal, as well as discussing how this goal relates to other SDGs. The book goes on to address the broader issues of achieving the set of goals overall, examining the novel financing mechanisms required for an enterprise of this nature, the trade-offs involved (particularly between the urgent climate agenda and the social/economic goals), the institutional arrangements designed to enable the achievement of the goals and offering a critical perspective on the enterprise as a whole. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals makes a distinctive contribution by covering a broad range of individual goals with contributions from experts on governance in the global climate, social and economic areas as well as providing assessments of the overall project - its financial feasibility, institutional requisites, and its failures to tackle certain problems at the core. This book will be of great interest to scholars and students of international affairs, development studies and sustainable development, as well as those engaged in policymaking nationally, internationally and those working in NGOs.

Whether childcare is seen as part of society's educational policy, welfare policy, or employment policy affects not only its form and content but also its public image. The contributors in this volume use current polices for the care of infants and preschool children to analyze debates and track the emergence of new state welfare practices across a variety of social and political configurations-and offer some conclusions about which methods work the best.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is a much cited but little studied institution, and its role in international governance is poorly understood. Nevertheless, the OECD plays an important role in the emerging structure of global governance. Focusing upon the OECD's core functions, contributors to this volume trace the OECD's history, structure, and role in international governance as well as its function as a "policy ideas generator" and purveyor of "best practices" in a variety of economic and social policy domains.

Contents:
Introduction Part I. The Consequences of Weak Feminism 1.Gender and Generation 2.The Value of an Educational Emphasis 3.Ideology, Economics and the Politics of Child Care in Poland Before and After the Transition Part II. The Power of Choice 4.Australia 5.The Illusion of Free Choice 6.Child Care Policy and the Crisis of the Welfare State in France Part III. The Impact of Neo-Liberalism 7."Modernization" and Welfare State Restructuring in Italy 8.Dual-Earner Families Caught in a Liberal Welfare regime? 9.Child Care in Britain 10.More Can be Less Part IV. Preserving/Creating Universalism 11.Danish Child Care 12.Alive and Fairly Well 13.Against the Current Afterward Contributors

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. Advanced Introduction to Social Policy offers a concise overview of the field that takes newer realities into account, without rejecting the insights found in the traditional social policy canon. Daniel Beland and Rianne Mahon draw on both classic and contemporary theories to illuminate the broad processes that are putting pressure on existing social policy arrangements and raising new research questions. This enlightening book enriches social policy research by moving beyond the methodological nationalism that has traditionally marked the field to include the role of transnational actors. Key features include: - a concise yet advanced introduction to social policy research - a close examination of changing gender relations and the increasing salience of ethnic diversity - a focus on both the advanced industrial world and the growing importance of the Global South as a site of social policy innovation - stressing the role of ideas in social policy - a global perspective on social policy that features systematic attention to transnational actors. In this lucid and accessible book, the authors offer a thorough overview of the field of social policy. The Advanced Introduction to Social Policy is essential reading for students, academics and policymakers alike.

Caught in the trap of the nation-state and frozen in postwar bloc logic, critical political economy has been found wanting when it comes to problematizing space and scale. Globalization and the rise of world cities and regions have shaken the discipline's foundations and fostered new interest in the concept of scale. "Leviathan Undone?" brings together leading theorists and scholars from a variety of disciplines to develop a new language to understand the spatial restructuring that has accompanied globalization. By treating scale as the core concept of our time, these innovative, groundbreaking essays bring a new sensibility to classical and contemporary concerns in Canadian and international political economy.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is a much cited but little studied institution, and its role in international governance is poorly understood. Nevertheless, the OECD plays an important role in the emerging structure of global governance. Focusing upon the OECD's core functions, contributors to this volume trace the OECD's history, structure, and role in international governance as well as its function as a "policy ideas generator" and purveyor of "best practices" in a variety of economic and social policy domains.

Caught in the trap of the nation-state and frozen in postwar bloc logic, critical political economy has been found wanting when it comes to problematizing space and scale. Globalization and the rise of world cities and regions have shaken the discipline's foundations and fostered new interest in the concept of scale. Leviathan Undone? brings together leading theorists and scholars from a variety of disciplines to develop a new language to understand the spatial restructuring that has accompanied globalization. By treating scale as the core concept of our time, these innovative, groundbreaking essays bring a new sensibility to classical and contemporary concerns in Canadian and international political economy.